Burnley woman up for £10,000 Specsavers award

Jack Marshall

A woman from Burnley has a look-in for a £10,000 prize after being announced as a regional finalist in Specsavers’ annual Spectacle Wearer of the Year competition.

The 73-year-old Eletta Clayton was presented with a bottle of champagne, a certificate, and a £150 Specsavers voucher by Kaz Hussain from Specsavers in Burnley after being chosen as a regional finalist in the over 60s age category for the North West.

Eletta at Specsavers in Burnley.

Now in with a chance of progressing on to a star-studded award ceremony, where the overall winner will take home a cash prize of £10,000, Eletta received her first pair of glasses six years ago to help improve her sight while reading.

"I really enjoy doing crossword puzzles in my spare time and I slowly began to notice that the small print was getting more and more difficult to read," Eletta said. "So I popped into the store for an eye test and that’s when I received my first pair of reading glasses.

"My sister actually heard about the competition so she decided to send across a photograph because people always tell me that I suit my glasses and the next thing I know, I received a phone call letting me know I’d been chosen as a finalist. It was a fantastic surprise to say to least."

Offering advice for anyone who needs glasses but does not feel confident about them, Eletta said: "Be proud of wearing them even if you’re not comfortable at first. My granddaughter wears glasses and I always tell her how lovely she looks with them on – she never wants to take them off. ’

Kaz Hussain, optical consultant at Specsavers in Burnley, said: "We’re thrilled to see one of our customers make it this far in the competition. It was a pleasure to hand Eletta her finalist prizes and we really think she could go all the way and take the grand prize as a very deserving winner."

Now in its 22nd year, the competition - which sees £1 donated to the anti-bullying charity Kidscape for each entry made - has raised £400,000 to date.